


Live a Happier Life

by Sansastarkofwinterfell



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:01:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24220984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sansastarkofwinterfell/pseuds/Sansastarkofwinterfell
Summary: ‘I was trying to make a world in which he could live a happier life.’The war was won and the world was safe, but it came at a cost for many. Teddy Lupin never knew his parents, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t loved. Snapshots of Teddy’s life surrounded by the people who love him.
Relationships: Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Teddy Lupin/Victoire Weasley
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23





	1. Molly Weasley

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone. Over the last few weeks I have been re-reading the Harry Potter series and after finishing Deathly Hallows, I wondered how Teddy Lupin would’ve grown up without his parents. I ended up having a tonne of ideas and just decided to write this fic about him.  
> Teddy is obviously a minor character in the book, but his birth is kind of the first happy moment since Bill/Fleur’s wedding and things begin to look more positive...then the Battle of Hogwarts happens. My heart always bleeds for Teddy, but the one positive is that unlike Harry, he would’ve grown up loved.  
> Each chapter will represent a different person who has a close relationship to Teddy, and will feature moments throughout his life. Chapter 1 will begin with Molly Weasley.  
> This is my first Harry Potter fic, so it won’t be perfect, but I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to J.K. Rowling.

It was nearly six o’clock in the evening, and Molly had just finished preparing dinner when her front door burst open without warning. Fearing the worst, Molly and Arthur grabbed their wands, prepared to fight off the intruders, but they relaxed their wands when they saw the intruder was only Remus Lupin. A very frantic-looking Remus Lupin, who was babbling incoherently about something. He was pacing up and down their front room, muttering something under his breath, and was yet to greet them, despite barging into their home.

“Remus,” Arthur said, approaching the younger man, whose head shot around to the pair of them, as if he was only just aware that he had barged into their home. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, well...I think so,” he stammered, making Molly worry. She too approached him, trying to coax him into the armchair he stood next to.

“Here, dear, why don’t you sit down?”

“No, no, I can’t sit down. I need to get back to Dora.”

“Is Tonks alright?” Molly asked, fearing something was wrong with the young witch.

“Yes, she’s fine. Well, I think the baby is coming.” At this, Molly let out a little squeal of delight and clapped her hands together, startling both Remus and Arthur.

“Oh, that is such wonderful news.”

“But, it’s too early,” Remus said, quitely, and now Molly realised why he was so stressed. “He’s not due for another two weeks.”

“Oh, babies come when they like, not when they’re supposed to. And if he’s as impatient as his mother, I’m not surprised he wants to be born a few weeks early.”

“Will you come-” but before Remus had managed to ask for Molly’s help, she had already grabbed her coat and hat, before grabbing Remus and heading out of the door, telling Arthur she would be back soon.

They arrived at Andromeda Tonks’ house where the couple had been staying, and Molly headed straight through the door, without waiting for Remus.

“Remus?” she heard Tonks’ shout from upstairs, and Molly headed straight to the bedroom.

“It’s only me, dear. Remus came to get me.” Remus appeared a moment later, heading straight to his wife’s side and Molly noticed someone was missing. “Where’s your mother?”

“She’s in Derby visiting dad’s family. It’s my Aunt Jennifer’s twenty-fifth anniversary.” 

“You left her in labour alone to come to fetch me?” Molly said, glaring at Remus, who shrunk back slightly.

“Well, I don’t really know what to do, and Dora told me not to bother Andromeda, which I think we should, but she insisted so I asked if I bring you to help.”

“Honestly, he’s just fussing. I’m completely fine. There’s no need to bother mum just yet. She’s not seen dad’s family since we got the news and I’m not giving birth right now, so she doesn’t need to be here. Right now I feel good enough to fight-”

But she was cut off with a hiss of pain and Molly smirked knowingly. She sat on the bed by Tonks and rubbed her back soothingly as the contraction passed.

“Well, I don’t think you’ll be fighting off any Death Eaters tonight. And in an hour, I will send a patronus to your mother.” 

An hour later, she sent the patronus, and within minutes, Andromeda arrived at her home. She had changed a lot since the last time Molly had seen her, after all, it was several years ago. Molly had been a few years ahead of Andromeda at Hogwarts, but it was clear that the years had been kinder to the middle of the Black sisters than the elder.

Andromeda stormed through the door, and was about to lecture her son-in-law about not calling her immediately, but anything she had to say died on her tongue when she saw that Molly had been able to coax her daughter into a light sleep.

“The contractions are still far apart, so I thought it would be good for her to get some much needed rest,” Molly explained, and the two women spent some time talking about whatever came to mind as they passed the time.

Sixteen long hours later, and Molly was coaxing Tonks through the final stages of her labour. With a final push, Molly delivered the baby and was the first person to hold him as he protested his birth rather loudly. She wiped down him and gave him a quick check, though he clearly had a healthy set of lungs on him, and wrapped him in a blanket before handing him to his mother, who had tears of joy and exhaustion running down her face. She smiled at the scene before her, Remus and Tonks, who had endured so much pain over the last couple of years, now happier than she had ever seen them, all because of the little bundle in their arms.

She left the room, along with Andromeda for an hour or so, to give the new parents time to themselves, and the two older women spoke of their own experiences of childbirth. Soon after, she returned to the bedroom to excuse herself and return to the Burrow.

“Don’t you want to properly meet him first?” Tonks asked, a smile on her face, and Molly could hardly reject the offer.

She took the baby in her arms and her face split into a large grin. For the first time she properly studied Teddy Lupin, and he was lovely. He was mostly his father’s double, but he had the signature Black eyes that she had seen in Nymphadora, Andromeda and Sirius. It seemed he had exhausted all of his tears earlier, because now his eyes were open and he was studying her face, as well as a newborn baby could study, and the wisp of hair on his head turned Weasley red. 

She nearly dropped him in shock.

“Oh, he first did that half an hour ago, shocked the two of us as well.. Remus spent so long worrying he’d inherit his condition but none of us even considered he’d inherit my abilities,” Tonks said, a smile upon her face.

Eventually, she did leave, giving each of them a large hug and congratulating them, even Andromeda, whom she congratulated as it is not everyday one becomes a grandmother for the first time. And she gave baby Teddy a big kiss on his tiny forehead. 

When she arrived home, Arthur had prepared a small dinner for her.

“So, how is the baby?” he asked, as she began to eat.

“Oh, Arthur, he is just lovely.”

* * *

It was five days later when she next saw Teddy. She knew the full moon soon after his birth, and she didn’t want to encroach, so she did not bother them, as she knew Remus in particular was anxious about the upcoming moon. She would admit she breathed a huge sigh of relief when a wolf patronus landed before her and Arthur two mornings ago, and the joyous voice of Remus Lupin assured them that little Teddy was not a werewolf.

She was so happy to see them when they arrived at the Burrow, and she immediately took Teddy from his mother’s arms and began to fuss over him. Arthur came to stand beside her, admiring the baby too as his tiny hand wrapped around Arthur’s index finger. He was truly a beautiful baby, and when his eyes opened, his now turquoise hair turned once again to a Weasley red.

“It seems to change randomly throughout the day,” Remus began to explain, “but it does make parenting slightly easier. We know what he wants when he cries. Angry red hair, and he needs changing. And he does seem to copy the hair colour of whoever is holding him.”

“Ooh, is that little Teddy,” Fred said as he came into the living room, soon followed by George. The twins resorted to pulling funny faces at him, forgetting that he was too young to laugh, or indeed to see the faces they were pulling, but it was lovely to see her boys interacting with the baby. And then Teddy was subjected to even more fussing when Bill and Fleur arrived, Fleur excitedly clapping her hands together, waiting for her chance to hold him.

Eventually, after Tonks had taken him into one of the bedrooms to feed him, Molly managed to steal him again, holding him tightly against her. It had been so long since she had held a baby in her arms, and there was nothing she loved more. His presence helped take her mind off her absent children. She knew Charlie was safe in Romania, but she would constantly worry about Percy, Ron and Ginny, but holding Teddy momentarily took her mind from them.

He began to whimper slightly in her arms but she shushed him, and bounced him gently, and he quickly quieted, content in her arms. She held him as she spoke with Remus and Tonks who were now sat on the sofa in her front room, and content in Molly’s warm arms, he soon drifted off to sleep.

The three stayed for dinner, before leaving with the promise of returning again soon. Teddy’s birth had lifted everyone’s spirits during such a dark time. The last moment of true happiness any of them had felt during the last few months had been Bill and Fleur’s wedding. And now Teddy had entered their lives, they felt joy once again during the darkness.

* * *

As it turned out, Remus and Tonks never did visit the Burrow again, taken from their son, as Molly’s own son was taken from her. Andromeda and Teddy, however, became frequent visitors to the Burrow. After all, if there was another woman who understood Molly’s pain at losing a child, it was poor Andromeda, who had lost both her daughter and husband, but had gained a grandson, and the two bonded over their shared grief, and their love for a certain blue-haired baby.

Molly thought that Andromeda cheered as she was in the presence of the Weasley family, and Teddy’s presence certainly helped Molly as she began healing. In fact, there were times when it seemed Teddy’s visits to the Burrow were the only thing that made Molly smile.

“I think being around an innocent baby makes her feel better,” Arthur explained to Andromeda, as the two of them watched Molly fuss over Teddy, clutching him tightly to her. He whispered, but Molly could still overhear their conversation. “Focusing on Teddy means she can take her mind off Fred, and he is truly a lovely child.”

“I understand. He’s done the same for me. He’s not a distraction, of course not. He’s solely reliant on me, and taking care of him means I don’t think on what I’ve lost, but instead what I’ve gained. It’s painful sometimes. His hair will turn pink and I’m taken back in time twenty-five years to when she was a baby. I don’t know if he remembers...But he’s all I’ve got to keep me going. He’s such a good child, so it’s easy to take my mind off the painful things when I’m with him. I assume Molly feels the same.”

“I believe she does. She adores him.”

A few hours later and Teddy had started to grow cranky, so Andromeda had taken him home. But not before lots of kisses from Grandma Molly. After the two had left, Molly approached Arthur.

“I heard what you said to Andromeda. You’re right. He’s so easy to love that being around him, it’s so simple to act as I did before.”

The pattern continued for several months. Andromeda would bring Teddy round for dinner, and after they left, the topic of discussion for several hours was centered around little Teddy. “Ooh, Arthur did you see, he smiled today. I think it’s only a matter of time before he starts laughing,” or “It was so adorable, he’s nearly mastered crawling.” Molly took great delight in receiving the two visitors, also often accompanied by Harry. It took a few months, but Molly returned to her old self. It still hurt to think of Fred, it always would, and whenever she saw her darling George look upset, there was always that pang, but she was improving, and this small, delightful boy had played a large role in that.

Teddy enjoyed his visits to the Burrow as he grew. For all intents and purposes, he was Molly and Arthur’s first grandchild, they certainly viewed him as such. As an honorary member of the Weasley family, Teddy received his own Weasley jumper, knitted with care by the Weasley matriarch. For the boy’s first Christmas, for which Andromeda and Teddy were once again guests at the Burrow, Molly handed Teddy two presents. Both were jumpers, but with two different letters, the letter E and the letter T. 

“One for Edward, and one for Teddy, until he’s old enough to tell me which he prefers.” The colour was a Hufflepuff yellow. It was far too early to guess what house he would be in, but she thought the yellow of his mother’s house was fitting. In welcoming the baby to the family, Molly also welcomed his Grandmother, who was surprised when Molly handed her a jumper with the letter ‘A’ on it for herself.

Teddy enjoyed his first Christmas at the Burrow, wide-eyed and curious about all the lights. All of the Weasley children doted on him, and he enjoyed spending time in each of their arms. But of all the Weasleys, he seemed to be most content in Molly’s arms, the warmest of them all, and after the excitement of Christmas Day, he fell asleep curled into the crook of her arm.

As he grew, Teddy spent every Wednesday night at his godfather’s house, but for the evening meal, Harry and Ginny would bring him to the Burrow for dinner, and Molly would take great pride in procuring a most wonderous meal for him. Molly saw to it herself that Teddy had all the food he wanted, and more, though not too much, for she did not wish to risk the famous Black wrath that Andromeda had by giving the boy more sweets than necessary. But from time to time, Molly gained a rather mischievous side and slipped the boy extra treats for his supper. Every time Teddy came round for dinner, Molly heard a voice in the back of her head:  _ ‘And as for who’s going to look after Ron and Ginny if you and Arthur died, what do you think we’d do, let them starve?’.  _ At the time, Remus’ words were in jest, but she took them to heart, and ensured that his son would never go hungry whilst he was in her care. Not that he ever went without what he needed under Andromeda’s care, but after Remus’ words to her, she vowed she would make sure Teddy was fine.

Such was his close involvement with the Weasleys, that from the moment he could talk, Teddy had taken to calling Molly and Arthur, ‘Grandma Molly’, and ‘Grandpa Arthur’. It wasn’t until he was five that he realised she wasn’t his real Grandma, and she remembered the conversation quite well.

Teddy had been at the Burrow for the afternoon while Andromeda was working, and he had spent his time playing with his Weasley and Potter ‘cousins’. After lunch, however, Teddy was quiet, a lot quieter than usual, and he didn’t leave the table to continue playing, despite the effort of the toddlers Fred and Roxanne, trying to get him to play with them.

“You’re not my real Grandma, are you? Not like Gran,” he asked suddenly, startling her. He looked so small in the chair he was sat in, and his hair had turned to his father’s light brown hair, his own natural colour. This often happened when Teddy was unsure, or upset, and lost control over his morphing.

She sat in the armchair, and beckoned him over, and he crawled into her lap.

“No, sweetie, I’m not,” she said to him. “Your Gran is your mummy’s mummy, and Grandpa Lyall is your daddy’s daddy, but Grandpa and Arthur and I are a different sort of grandparents.”

“You and Grandpa Arthur are Uncle Bill’s mummy and daddy, so you are Vicki and Dom’s real Grandma.”

“Yes, I am. But Grandpa Arthur and I love you just as much as we love them. Do you like calling me Grandma?” Teddy considered this for a moment, before nodding his head with vigour. “Then you can call me Grandma.”

“I love you, Grandma Molly.”

“I love you too, sweetie.”

He smiled, and gave her a big hug, turning his hair Weasley red as he often did when he visited, before running off to play with the rest of the children.

* * *

Molly was part of the large group that assembled at Platform 9 ¾ on 1st September 2009 to see Teddy off to his first year at Hogwarts (much to his embarrassment, it must be said, for no other student had such a large assortment of red-heads, and of course, the famous Harry Potter there to greet him.)

She gave him one of her large hugs before he boarded the train, making him promise her to send loads of letters. She comforted Andromeda, who was sniffling with emotion beside her, for she was not looking forward to spending time on her own for the first time since the war had ended. They were all going to miss him terribly, but he was so excited and they were looking forward to hearing all the stories he would tell them of his time at Hogwarts.

As promised, she and Arthur received plenty of letters from Teddy, telling them how he was enjoying his first year. Of course, when the first letter came telling them he had been sorted into Hufflepuff, neither of them were surprised. Teddy had links to three of the four houses through his parents and grandparents, but any bets on what house he would be sorted into were placed on the house of his mother. He wrote of how amazing the Hufflepuff basement was and how a sixth year Ravenclaw student had tried to sneak in to see his friends, but promptly had vinegar dumped on his head. He wrote about all the teachers, how they were kind but strict and even Professor Longbottom showed him no favours despite knowing him. He also wrote of how surprised he was that he got to speak to the portrait of Albus Dumbledore when he was in Headmistress McGonagall’s office, though what he had done to already require a visit to the Headmistress remained a mystery. Molly suspected it may have been that one time he had morphed his face to match Professor Slughorn’s before the aforementioned Professor had caught him, though he wrote that Slughorn had found it rather amusing. He wrote of how much he enjoyed watching the Quidditch matches, and how Hagrid always helped him when he was restless during the full moon. Thankfully, he had not inherited his father’s condition, but he still suffered from certain side effects of the moon, and as a child he was often helped by Bill, so it eased her mind to know that Hagrid was helping him when Bill couldn’t. And then, of course, he wrote about his several pranks throughout the school, pranks that his mischievous mother and Marauder father would’ve been proud of.

From the letters she received, it was clear that Teddy was loving his time at Hogwarts. She had been worried, when Andromeda had told her that despite his excitement, Teddy was apprehensive about living at the place where his parents had been killed, but he seemed to take to the school as well as they had all hoped. 

After his first year, when he returned and visited them at the Burrow, he was full of more stories that he had omitted from his letters. Even George was impressed by some of his pranks, though Ginny was adamant that he should not teach any of them to James, who was already living up to his namesakes’ reputation for mischief. He was glowing, but when he approached Molly, he was surprisingly quiet. The pattern continued for a few days and Molly began to panic, worrying she had done something wrong, but eventually he approached her.

“Grandma?” he asked.

“Yes, dear?”

“Erm,” he began, shuffling nervously as he looked to his feet to avoid eye contact, a trait that Molly noted Remus had passed to his son. “Well, Uncle Harry said that you haven’t seen the memorial at Hogwarts,” he finished quickly, the words tumbling out of his mouth. Ice filled Molly’s heart at his words, and she was taken back to over a decade ago, her beloved boy’s body on the floor in front of her. She had not wanted to see the memorial, despite Arthur’s pleading. She never wanted to return to Hogwarts again. Teddy continued to speak and she forced herself to listen, holding back the tears that threatened to spill.

“No, I haven’t. I haven’t been to Hogwarts since…”

“Well, I was just wondering if you’d like to come with me?” he asked, hopefully. “I didn’t want to see it at first either, but then Neville, I mean Professor Longbottom, started telling me about his parents and what happened to them, and he persuaded me to come with him to see the memorial. It’s a really nice memorial. And Uncle Fred’s name is right next to mum and dad’s.”

His voice was so hopeful, Molly felt that she couldn’t refuse him. She felt as if she could not bear facing returning to the place where her boy had been killed, but then she looked at the young boy in front of her, who had spent an entire year in the castle where his parents had been killed, and he gave her courage.

So, the following day, Headmistress McGonagall allowed them to floo into her office, and they approached the memorial which was situated on the castle grounds. Neither said anything, but Molly felt Teddy hold her hand as they stood before it. He was right, it was lovely, beautiful even. And the names ‘Fred Weasley’, ‘Remus Lupin’ and ‘Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin’ were next to each other. Teddy’s hair was his normal shade, a sign that he was feeling gloomy, so Molly used her wand to conjure three bouquets of flowers by the memorial, and cheerfully suggested a trip to Hogsmeade.

Teddy continued to write to them as he progressed through the years at Hogwarts, and each Christmas and summer, he was welcomed home by all. Ironically, through his third year, Teddy became rather the opposite of his mother, and insisted that people called him by his real name, for he felt that Teddy was too childish. So in public, Molly obeyed his wishes and referred to him as Edward, but to her, he would always be Teddy. It was not long before he changed his mind once again, however, and the name Edward was only used by Andromeda if he were in trouble, which happened quite often throughout his teenage years as he picked up many unhealthy habits from George.

He had been one of the smallest in his year. He always remained at his natural height, never altering it unless it was for pranking someone by altering his entire appearance. However, when he reached fifteen he had a huge growth spurt, and within the space of a year, Teddy had grown to nearly the size of George. He now towered over Molly, and she would laugh as she had to stand on her toes in order to hug him. She had stopped giving him a kiss on the cheek as she greeted him, because he had reached the teenage boy stage where it embarrassed him, especially in front of Victoire, who Molly had noticed he blushed whenever she looked his way. Molly’s own boys had gone through that same stage, and by the time they reached twenty, they allowed her to kiss their cheeks in greeting again, so Molly humoured him for now. She would jokingly admonish him for growing each time she saw him, forbidding him to grow any taller, and his reply would always be laughter, using his ability to make himself grow another foot taller, a joke George was always proud to see him do.

Molly attended Teddy’s Hogwarts graduation when it came around. She was not remotely ashamed to say that she cried as he gave his speech as Head Boy, something James was not happy as apparently his grandmother’s tears embarrassed him. Despite Teddy’s knack for mischief, he was an exceptionally gifted student, and received all the NEWT grades he needed to train as an Auror, inspired by his mother. He had initially struggled in deciding a future career for himself. Although Remus was a brilliant teacher, Teddy had inherited his mother’s patience, or lack of, and therefore was not suited for the role of Professor. He had considered becoming a healer, or a potioneer, especially since so much of his free time of late had been dedicated to finding a potion that would cure lycanthropy, and he had received a few offers from various departments of the Ministry of Magic. But in the end, he had decided that the career of Auror was what suited him best, and Molly thoroughly agreed, though she knew deep down that whatever career he had chosen for himself, he would’ve succeeded.

* * *

In the twenty-four years she had known Teddy, she had never seen him this nervous. He had been pacing for the last fifteen minutes, his face ashen white, and he had seemingly forgotten she was even in the room with him. He looked uncannily like his father who had once barged through the front door of the Burrow and taken to the very same pattern of pacing and mumbling nervously the night he had told them Tonks was in labour.

“Teddy,” she called, but he didn’t answer, too stressed to hear her. It was clear that more drastic measures were needed for her to grab his attention.

“Edward Remus Lupin!” she called, louder, and that did the trick. He froze, a shocked look on his face. Very rarely was he ever addressed by his first name. In fact, other than the brief period in which he preferred to be called Edward, Molly was unsure she had ever referred to him as anything other than Teddy. “Will you calm down and stop pacing, young man, you will wear my carpet down.”

“Sorry, Grandma.”

“And stop worrying. She will obviously say yes.”

“But what if she doesn’t and I embarrass myself and then she doesn’t want to be with me because she thinks we’re moving too quickly so I ruin it.” 

He was speaking so quickly that she could hardly understand a word that came out his mouth, but she took pity on him. Each of her boys had been stressed when they came to her with their plans to propose to their now-wives, and Arthur also revealed to her that the most nerve wracking moment of his life was thinking how and when to do it. She understood Teddy’s fears, but she also knew her granddaughter, and she knew Victoire was smitten with the young turquoise-haired man currently fretting over her answer.

“Teddy, just breathe and relax…Where has my confident young man gone?” she asked, for Teddy had a natural confident air about him, he was very rarely a nervous wreck. “She will say yes, I know she will. And deep down you do too. Now, once you’ve calmed down, go and pick her up, ignore the glare my son will no doubt give you, Bill loves you really, he will just try and attempt to be intimidating. Go and enjoy your meal, and then afterwards return here immediately so I can congratulate you both and give you a thousand cuddles.”

“Once again, your wise words of advice set me straight,” he said, a bright smile on his face. He came over to her, and embraced her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “See you soon, Grandma. Love you.”

She watched him leave the Burrow with pride. From the moment this boy had been born, she had loved him as if he were truly her own grandson, and watching him grow had been nothing short of delightful. Despite the hardship of growing up an orphan, he had turned into a remarkable young man who she loved fiercely. She had tried to hide it whilst he was speaking with her, but she could not contain her excitement. She knew Victoire would say yes when Teddy proposed and then this young man who was considered an honorary Weasley by all from the moment he was born would officially be a part of the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. Over the last few weeks I have been re-reading the Harry Potter series and after finishing Deathly Hallows, I wondered how Teddy Lupin would’ve grown up without his parents. I ended up having a tonne of ideas and just decided to write this fic about him.  
> Teddy is obviously a minor character in the book, but his birth is kind of the first happy moment since Bill/Fleur’s wedding and things begin to look more positive...then the Battle of Hogwarts happens. My heart always bleeds for Teddy, but the one positive is that unlike Harry, he would’ve grown up loved.  
> Each chapter will represent a different person who has a close relationship to Teddy, and will feature moments throughout his life. Chapter 1 will begin with Molly Weasley.  
> This is my first Harry Potter fic, so it won’t be perfect, but I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to J.K. Rowling.


	2. Minerva McGonagall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone,  
> Been far too long since I worked on this story (or any I suppose) but finally got a new chapter up.  
> This was a harder one than the first one, because I don’t think Teddy would’ve had a super close relationship with McGonagall because in reality there was no reason for him to. He would’ve grown up surrounded by Andromeda, Harry and Weaselys, and connections with teachers wouldn’t have meant as much to him as it did Harry. But I still feel like he would’ve been closer to her than any other teacher, and I feel that she would’ve kept an extra eye out for him, because I headcanon that Remus was an all time favourite student of hers.  
> Hope you enjoy this chapter :).  
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to J.K. Rowling.

Minerva sat almost stone still, dabbing her eyes with the handkerchief as Shacklebolt honoured the dead at the memorial. Each fallen individual would have their own funerals, attended by their own family and friends, but she felt that those who had given their lives needed a joint memorial, at the place they had died. In the past twenty four hours, they had managed to remove the rubble from the Great Hall, and it looked somewhat respectful, as the temporary Minister for Magic spoke the names of those who had fallen.

So many of her students, past and present. She thought of Fred Weasley, an absolute terror to teach but a boy with a heart of gold, young Colin Creevey and Lavender Brown, members of her House whom she had spent a lot of time with during their time at Hogwarts, and their young lives taken from them far before their time.

As two more names were read by Shacklebolt, Minerva’s eye caught another one of her former students, though it had been nearly thirty years since she had graduated. Despite being a Slytherin at a time where her fellow House members were falling into darkness, her own sisters and cousins among those, she had remained pure. Minerva could’ve shed a thousand tears for Andromeda Black, now obviously Andromeda Tonks. She knew the pain of being a widow herself, but she could not imagine the torture Andromeda is currently undergoing having lost a child, and her only child at that.

Minerva felt the pain radiating off Andromeda as she sobbed when Kingsley called Nymphadora’s name out, followed straight after by Remus. Oh, Remus...Minerva had adored him and his troublemaker friends, and it hurt that they were now all gone, and gone so young. But it provided her with some comfort that James, Sirius and Remus were now together again (along with Lily and Nymphadora of course), she only hoped that they weren’t causing Albus too much trouble wherever life after death had taken them.

It was only as Andromeda moved slightly, that Minerva realised, with a jolt, that she held a small bundle in her arms. She had completely forgotten that Remus and Nymphadora were expecting a child. In fact, because of the secrecy every member of the Order had been forced to live under for the past few months, she was unaware that the baby had even been born. She had seen their bodies in the Great Hall yesterday, but the baby had not crossed her mind as she mourned her fallen students.

After the memorial had finished, she made her way to some of the family members of her students who had fallen. Poor Dennis Creevey was in floods of tears, and though she was unused to affection from her students, she did not flinch when he hugged her, clearly looking for comfort from his teacher. After she had passed her condolences on to many family members, she saw that Andromeda was still sitting in her seat, and so she made her way over to the younger woman.

“Andromeda?” she spoke, gently as she approached, and sat down on one of the chairs, leaving a chair in the middle of herself and Andromeda to give the younger woman a bit of room.

“Good evening, Professor,” she replied, her eyes not leaving her grandson, who was starting to wake, though he did not make a fuss. Minerva strained her neck slightly, enabling her to get a look at the baby for the first time, and her immediate thought was how he looked like his father.

“I have not been your Professor for some time, you may call me Minerva. This must be baby Lupin,” she said, gesturing to the baby, who was now wide-eyed and taking in his surroundings, completely unaware of the memorial he was attending.

“Indeed,” Andromeda replied, a smile now gracing her face, though her eyes still glistened with tears.

“His name?” she prompted, seeing that it appeared to sooth Andromeda, the attention being on the baby.

“Edward Remus Lupin. Teddy,” she replied, and Minerva had been right for the smile on her face grew larger, and she kissed her grandson’s forehead.

“For his grandfather and father, a lovely touch. Hello there, Teddy,” she said, leaning closer to get a good look at the bundle in Andromeda’s arms. Due to her teaching position, Minerva had a stern reputation, she had done from the moment she began teaching, but she was also known for being fair, and kind, but still she doubted anyone would’ve imagined her around young children. But the truth was, she loved babies, and always had. They were so innocent, and she could spend hours in their presence, soothing them to sleep. 

She reached over and stroked the baby’s cheek, and he closed his fist around one of her fingers as he let out a yawn, and to her great shock, the small tuft of hair on his head changed from a brown colour that resembled his father’s to a bright turquoise.

“Oh, what a lovely surprise, little one. You have your mother’s gift,” she cooed at him, as his eyes began to droop, and within seconds he was back asleep.

“Forgive me, Professor, but I should probably be going.”

Andromeda stood, carefully arranging Teddy in her arms so he would not wake.

“Would you like some tea, dear?” she asked, a pit forming in her stomach at the thought of Andromeda returning to an empty house.

“Thank you, Professor, but no,” she said, the sad smile back upon her face, and Minerva thought she was going to cry again. “I would like to go home. Besides, it is getting late and I need to put this one to bed.”

“I understand. I am...I am so very sorry,” she said for the first time, realising that meeting Teddy had distracted her from expressing her condolences.

Andromeda nodded in reply, but did not speak out of fear of breaking down once more. Instead, she shot Minerva a grateful look, and then headed home.

* * *

After the memorial, Minerva saw Teddy perhaps two or three times during his childhood, for she was not particularly close with any member of his family, though she did remain in contact with Andromeda. Six months after the memorial, Minerva received a letter from Andromeda out of the blue, asking if she could take up that offer for tea that she had rejected on the day. Minerva, of course, was delighted to accept, and every couple of months, she and Andromeda would meet at Madam Puddifoot’s for afternoon tea, and this continued for many years as both women grew older. However, Andromeda never brought Teddy with her, always leaving him with Harry or Molly, for she said that as much as she loved him, she often needed breaks from the child, who was as loud and energetic as his mother.

So she heard stories from Andromeda, and Harry when she saw him, of Teddy’s childhood, but it was not until he began attending Hogwarts that she truly got to know him.

As Headmistress, she no longer wrote letters to the students informing them of their acceptance at Hogwarts, that duty had fallen to Professor Flitwick, but she still made sure to know the names of all of her students before she arrived. She examined the list of students enrolling this year, noting that the list was much smaller than usual due to these students being born during the height of the war. She recognised some names, but it was only when she reached the letter ‘L’ that she froze.  _ ‘Lupin, Edward’ _ . It was the name of this particular student that stood out above all others and made her realise that the war, though it seemed like only yesterday, was so long ago. Had they really had eleven years of peace? It seemed surreal, but Teddy’s name as a student enrolling in September confirmed it.

Professor Slughorn had also seen the list, and made an offhand comment, “Ah, a Lupin. Remus’ son I assume? At least we will have one well behaved child,” he said, before walking off, muttering fondly to himself about his favourite old students. Minerva, having heard what he said, almost uncharacteristically spat her coffee out. Of course, Remus had been an incredibly quiet and well mannered individual, but as Head of Gryffindor House at the time, she was more than aware that it was not just Potter and Black who caused mischief. She had no doubt that Teddy would be a respectful and delightful student, but she was also aware that he was the son of perhaps the most mischievous student she had ever taught, who spent more time in detention than she had in a classroom, and a Marauder (and related to another). He was also, no doubt, heavily influenced by one half of the Weasley twins, and of course his godfather, who was involved in almost everything that went wrong at the school when he was there. Not to mention, Minerva had once turned a blind-eye to a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff breaking a hundred school rules just so they could see each other without her pure-blood family knowing. So, she knew she would have to keep an eye out for the boy, who no doubt had his own knack for mischief.

Minerva sat at the Head of the Great Hall, watching as Professor Flitwick escorted the new first years towards the front to be sorted, and she saw Teddy walking among them, and it was as if she had been transported back forty years, for from a distance he looked the very image of his father. She would admit that she thought Dumbledore had gone mad when he had told her that he was allowing a werewolf to enroll at Hogwarts, but when she first called 11-year-old Remus Lupin to be sorted, he was the complete opposite of what she had expected. She was not a prejudiced woman, and did not stereotype, but she was shocked to see the dark creature Dumbledore had allowed to enroll was a frail and clearly shy boy, who looked equally shocked and happy to be sorted into the House of Godric Gryffindor. He was a wonderful boy who became a wonderful man, and as Professor Flitwick called the name ‘Lupin, Edward’ to be sorted, she knew his son would also grow to be a wonderful man, and would be a credit to his parents.

She would admit to herself that she hoped he would be placed into Gryffindor, but as Headmistress rather than Head of Gryffindor House, she had to remain impartial, but it was clear from the outset that despite showing some of the qualities associated with her old House, he was truly a Hufflepuff like his mother.

He settled into life at Hogwarts quickly, making friends with students from all four Houses and showing early signs of intelligence in several of his classes. A month or so after his arrival, she invited him to her office one afternoon. Really, she should not have invited him because she cannot be seen to be having favourites, but she had always been extremely fond of Remus (and Nymphadora of course) and she wanted to speak with Teddy, to find out how he was really getting on after his first month.

Obviously Teddy was familiar with Minerva, but that did not stop him from looking terrified as he entered her office, clearly thinking he had been summoned to the Headmistress’ office to be told off.

“Ah, Teddy, you are here. Please, sit down,” she said with a smile, gesturing at the seat in front of her desk. “Would you like some tea?”

He relaxed when she asked the question, now realising that he was not in trouble, and he had a sort of sheepish smile on his face.

“Erm, thank you, Professor, but I do not like tea.”

“Coffee then? Or hot chocolate?” she asked, and his face split into a huge grin at the mention of hot chocolate.

“Oh, I would love hot chocolate, Professor.”

“Ah,” another voice said, startling Teddy as his head whipped around to see the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, “finally Edward Lupin has come to Hogwarts. I have been looking forward to meeting you.”

Teddy seemed shocked, almost starstruck as Dumbledore continued to speak to him, and then a second portrait, the one beside Dumbledore’s spoke up too.

“Oh dear, Lupin spawn,” the voice of Severus Snape drawled, sarcasm dripping in his voice. “I have seven years of this to look forward to do I?”

“Oh, do ignore him, Teddy, he is only joking with you,” Minerva assured him, and Teddy spent the next hour in her office, and Minerva found him to be a delightful young boy.

He progressed through school rather well. He attended all of his lessons, and his teachers had nothing but good things to say about him. He was well-mannered, polite and was well liked by students and teachers alike. Of course, he was sent to her office a few times for some of the pranks he had pulled, often for imitating teachers. But it was not until his third year that he was sent to her office for something other than a harmless prank.

Professor Lyons, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for nearly six years now, had sent him to her office for what he described as uncharacteristically rude and argumentative behaviour on Teddy’s part. Lyons expressed his concern, as he had not had an issue with the boy before, but felt that his behaviour in the class warranted a conversation with the Headmistress. And then she understood why there had been an issue. Professor Lyons mentioned that the topic of the lesson had been a rather difficult one: werewolves.

So, Teddy was now sitting before her, a mix of anger and shame on his face and after three minutes he was yet to say a word, so she decided to take the lead.

“I understand that this is a difficult subject for you, but it is a part of the curriculum and therefore the topic of werewolves must be covered. We worked hard with the Ministry after the war to ensure that the curriculum was fact based and showed no signs of prejudice, so as long as Professor Lyons was not showing any sign of prejudice against-”

“He was teaching the class how to kill werewolves!” Teddy interrupted, shouting, though he immediately looked sheepish for raising his voice to the Headmistress.

“Was he?” she asked, a skeptical look on her face, for she knew exactly what Professor Lyons’ lesson entailed, “Or was he instructing the class on how to defend themselves should they fall under attack by a werewolf on a full moon?”

“What’s the difference?”

“Was he encouraging the class to find werewolves and kill them, or was he teaching them self-defence in case the need to use it ever arose?”

“I’m sorry, Professor. It’s...it’s just a sore subject. I know he didn’t mean it like that. I guess I just lost my temper,” Teddy admitted, sullenly, and no longer meeting her eye. It was as if he was disappointed in himself after his little outburst.

“I understand that,” she replied, having sympathy for him. She moved from behind her desk to sit on a chair beside him, offering him a biscuit which he took gratefully. “I had a lot of respect for your father, and how he managed to create a life for himself in spite of all the obstacles he faced, and he was all the proof a person needed that just because society labels something as evil, it doesn’t mean they are. But, werewolves without wolfsbane on a full moon are dangerous for people to encounter, your father knew that better than anyone which is why he always took extra precautions to make sure he couldn’t hurt anyone. And as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, it is the job of Professor Lyons to ensure that his students are prepared to face any dangers that could possibly await them.”

“I know, Professor, and I’m sorry for how I acted. I will apologise to Professor Lyons,” Teddy said, his head still hung in what appeared to be shame.

“Your father had to take the same lesson when he was your age, during a time where he would’ve faced much more prejudice than werewolves face now. The teacher told the class that werewolves were no better than animals, and should even be killed in human form.”

“That’s outrageous!” Teddy shouted, almost leaping from his seat. And in his eyes, she could see the ever famous Black temper that she had seen countless times in his grandmother’s cousin, Sirius.

“I very much agree with you there. As did James Potter, who immediately after the lesson had finished, stormed into my office, ranting about how awful the teacher was and how he needed sacking.”

“And he was right to do so. They are human too.”

“They certainly are. Your very existence is proof of that,” Minerva replied, a small smile on her face, and Teddy smiled back at her. She marvelled at this boy, now transitioning through adolescence, and she was very fond of him and his good heart.

* * *

Teddy continued to work hard at school, though he continued with pranks and caused a bit of trouble, but it was harmless. He was never rude to staff or other students (other than the one time he punched a fellow fifth-year for calling him the son of a filthy beast. Teddy knew better than anyone what his parents had sacrificed, and he didn’t let anyone bad-mouth them. He was incredibly defensive of those he loved, a trait Minerva admired in him, even if she did not agree with him punching students for their ill words).

It was no surprise to her when Professor Sprout named Teddy as the Hufflepuff Prefect in his fifth year, and he sailed through his OWLs with minimal difficulty, achieving all the top grades he needed to qualify for the NEWT classes he wished to take. And when he finished his sixth year, Minerva had no hesitation in naming the young man Head Boy. His behaviour was (almost) exemplary, he was one of the top in his class, he was a hard worker and had all the qualities that she looked for in a student to be Head Boy. He was admired by students and teachers alike, and was a student she wanted others to see as a role model. 

Even in his final year, whilst she never regretted her decision to give him the title of Head Boy, he tested her patience slightly with some mischievous behaviour, and it certainly didn’t help that a certain son of Harry Potter was now in his first year. She would never forget the first time she had both Edward Remus Lupin and James Sirius Potter stood before her, ready for their detention after getting into trouble. So far, James had managed a large handful of detentions with her in the short period since his arrival, but she had never dealt with the two of them together.

“A Potter and a Lupin in my office after making trouble. I never thought I’d see the day again. I must have gone back in time to the 1970s. Now all we need is a Black to walk in and then I will be convinced I am no longer in the 21st century.”

“Erm, well, Professor,” Teddy began, a hint of a laugh in his voice, “I’m sort of a Black, so I guess that could count. But I guess with my diluted bloodline of a Muggleborn grandfather, a muggle grandmother and a werewolf father, I’m not sure I would.”

She glared at him, silencing him, for it was not the time for a joke, though she could not help but smile slightly. In that moment, it was Sirius Black he resembled the most, for he had often mocked his family's beliefs in front of her.

“Now, Edward, you are Head Boy and you know I expect better of you.” Teddy did bow his head slightly, in shame, and she turned to James, “and as for you, young man, I have had enough James’, Sirius’ and Potter’s trouble to last me a lifetime.”

“Sorry, Professor,” James said, sounding not at all sorry, and she knew the next seven years would be a whirlwind with this child..

She dismissed James, but kept Teddy behind to have an extra word with him.

“As Headmistress of this school it is my duty to ensure that it’s students behave, and that is why I must ask you not to give James Potter the map when you leave,” she said, not quite sounding stern, and not quite meaning the words, but at least she had said them, even if she wouldn’t enforce them.

“You know about the map?” Teddy asked, his voice high with surprise.

“Honestly, who do you take me for? I have known about that map since it was in the hands of its original owners.”

“Well,” Teddy replied, a smirk on his face, “I’m afraid I shouldn’t make promises I can’t keep, Professor.”

“Hmm,” she said, smiling, letting him know his little cheeky backtalk was fine. “Now, off with you. Your detention is tomorrow. Do not be late."

Less than twelve months later, it was Minerva’s pleasure to welcome the Head Boy to the front of the Hall as he made his speech as his year graduated Hogwarts. She would admit that she shed a tear listening to his speech, and beamed with pride as Teddy publicly thanked her for her support and teachings during his time at the school.

She would never say that she and Teddy had anything other than a teacher-student relationship. He never saw her as a mother figure, and she never saw him as a son. But she wouldn’t hesitate to admit that he was one of her favourite students, and one whom she delighted when they met at Hogsmeade for a cup of coffee, updating her on his progress as a trainee, and later qualified Auror, after he had left. And she was equally shocked and delighted when Teddy, now in his thirties and Victoire Weasley at his side, met her for tea in Hogsmeade one afternoon and in his arms was a small bundle, barely a week old, whom he introduced as Isabelle Minerva Lupin.

Her heart burst with pride, knowing that she had made such an impact on his life that he would do her the honour of naming his daughter after her, and she did not have a dry eye for the entire hour they were at Madam Puddifoot’s. Whenever she saw him, Minerva marvelled in how a boy with a tragic backstory had become a wonderful young man.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I do feel like a lot of this chapter was sort of McGonagall reflecting on Remus as she watched Teddy grow up at school, but as I mentioned in the intro, I believe she would’ve kept an extra eye out for Teddy because of his father, and because she felt sorry for him, being an orphan of two people she knew well, but they wouldn’t have been extremely close.  
> But I feel Teddy would’ve had immense amounts of respect for her, and when he graduated, he would’ve kept in contact. And I headcanon that if Remus/Tonks survived and they had a daughter, they would’ve used Minerva as a middle name, but the idea of Teddy using Minerva as a middle name, especially since Tonks hated her name so he wouldn’t name his daughter after his mother, just fitted and made sense.  
> The next chapter will be a long one, and it will focus on Harry. If anyone has any headcanons about Harry’s (or any other characters) relationships with Teddy and would like me to write it into a fic (with credit of course) please feel free to let me know.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading once again, I would love to hear any kind of feedback from you all.


	3. Harry Potter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I have finally finished chapter 3 of this story and it focuses on Harry and Teddy. This one is much bigger than the previous 2, in fact, I think it’s the same size as them both combined. Mainly because other than Andromeda, I think Harry would’ve been the biggest influence on Teddy’s childhood.  
> After this chapter, I will not post another chapter for this story until I have completed by LOTR fic. I have found that writing two different stories in two different fandoms makes it harder to get into a flow, and so I’ve decided to finish of the final 5/6 chapters of my LOTR fic, to keep it easier for me, and then focus solely on this one. I think that will make it easier to have regular updates on both of the stories.  
> As for the next chapter, I am undecided between Andromeda, Charlie or Lyall. When I start writing this story again, they will all get a chapter, but let me know if you have a preference of which one to write first.  
> I decided to focus this chapter more on Teddy’s early childhood than anything else, mainly because I firmly believe that Teddy would’ve been a key presence in Harry healing from the war, and I think their key moments together would’ve happened when Teddy was younger. Not to say when he was an adult he wouldn’t have been close with Harry, because I believe they would’ve had a great bond even when he was older, but I think the early years, particularly with Harry being the one who was also raised an orphan, were the key moments.  
> Hope you enjoy chapter 3.  
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to J.K. Rowling.

Harry sat in complete silence, his hand locked with Ginny’s as immense waves of guilt began flowing through him. He hardly moved his eyes from the open caskets before him. As the three members of the Order who had lost their lives in the battle, Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Tonks had decided that a joint funeral for Fred, Remus and Tonks was fitting.

The three of them looked young in death. Of course, they were young, especially Fred and Tonks, but even Remus, whose life had made him look older than his thirty eight years, looked younger and far more peaceful in death than he had in life.

Far too many people had lost their lives, and although Harry understood it was their choice to fight, it did not stop him from feeling that he was ultimately responsible for their deaths. If only he had stayed away from Hogwarts... 

Every few minutes, his gaze moved away from the bodies, and towards a woman sat close by. Mrs. Tonks was holding a bundle in her arms, with a tuft of blue hair. He had seen her at the memorial last week, hosted by Kingsley the day after the battle, but had not found the courage to go and speak with the grieving woman, and he also had no idea how to greet Teddy. He knew he was only a baby and would not remember their first meeting, but Harry had no experience with babies, and with Remus gone, as well as Ted, he feared that Teddy would look to him as a father figure, and that was something that Harry was not ready for.

After the bodies were placed in their coffins, and the ceremony was over, he decided it was time to speak with Mrs. Tonks.

“I’ll be with you soon, Ginny. I-I should go and…” he gestured towards Mrs. Tonks, who had yet to move from her seat, her eyes locked on the coffin before her, where her daughter’s body was to now be forever sealed.

“It’s okay, Harry. Go and see them,” she said, understanding, and he took a large breath before heading over to the grieving woman.

“Mrs. Tonks?” he said, gently, afraid he would startle her. Her head shot up, but she recognised him immediately.

“Oh, Harry. Please, take a seat,” she gestured to a spare seat on her left, and he hesitantly took it.

“I just wanted to…I want to say that…I’m so sorry.” He wished he could disappear off the face of the planet. This poor woman had lost her husband and only child because of him and all he could say was ‘I’m sorry.’

“Thank you, Harry,” she replied, her eyes finally moving from the coffin’s in front of them. “And I’m sorry too. I know you were friends with Fred Weasley, and I know what Remus meant to you as well. You certainly meant a lot to him.”

“I only wish that I had…” _Known him better_ was what he wanted to say, but the words would not come. The bundle in her arms moved slightly in his sleep, and Harry’s attention wandered to him. “This must be Teddy.”

Some light appeared back in Mrs. Tonks’ eyes, and she looked at her grandson with a look of love Harry had never received from a family member since his parents.

“Indeed. Harry, meet your godson. Teddy, meet Uncle Harry.” She tilted the baby in her arms slightly so he could get a real look at his godson’s face. He stifled a chuckle. Remus had been wrong that day in Shell Cottage, and once again Tonks was right. Though he could see a few features of his mother, Teddy was Remus’ double, aside from the small amounts of bright blue hair.

“Do you want to hold him?”

“Oh, erm. I…I don’t…” Harry was flustered. He had never been around a baby before and had no idea how to hold them. Or how to do anything for them.

“It’s okay, I’ll show you how to support him.”

Andromeda gently placed Teddy in Harry’s arms, and he squirmed a little, opening his eyes. Harry braced himself for Teddy to begin crying, but to his surprise, Teddy just stared at him, and his hair turned to jet black to match the hair of the man who was holding him.

Guilt overwhelmed him once more. This tiny baby had slept through his parents’ funeral, and he didn’t even know it. The guilt he carried, must’ve shown on his face, for Andromeda placed her hand on his in a comforting gesture.

“No one blames you for anything, Harry. I can tell you think it’s all your fault.”

“Perhaps they should blame me,” he replied, biting his cheek in an effort to fight back the tears.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Harry. You’re barely a man, hardly responsible for what has happened. Everyone knew what they were fighting for, my daughter included, and I know she would do it again if she could.”

“You’re right, but I still feel guilty.”

“You know,” Andromeda began, almost hesitantly, and she looked at her grandson, holding one of his tiny hands in her own. “Nymphadora told me how awful those muggles made your childhood. It must have been hard enough losing your parents so young, but then to deal with the abuse they gave you must have been horrific. The two of us have to make sure that he never feels like you did.”

Harry swore to himself that his godson would never feel as he did as a child. Harry not only felt, but knew he was unwanted and unloved, and he would do his absolute best to ensure that Teddy never once felt like that.

“I would like to visit him, when I can.”

“You are his godfather. You can visit anytime,” she replied, and then for the first time her lips curled upwards slightly. “Within reason, of course.”

“I want to be to him what I was Sirius had been able to be for me.” Whilst he loved the short time he had with Sirius before he died, Harry still wished Sirius had been there when he was a child.

“When you were born, it was the happiest I’d ever seen him. He used to joke that he was happier than your parents were.” Harry had momentarily forgotten that Sirius had once called Andromeda his favourite cousin, and it was clear that after the two had been disowned by their family, they had kept in touch. “Every time I saw him, he would tell me all about the new things you had done. When you laughed, and your first words…I hate thinking about the time didn’t get to spend with you.”

“That won’t happen with Teddy,” Harry assured her, and himself. “He will know me as well as he knows you.”

* * *

Harry kept his promise, and made sure that he visited Teddy regularly. At first, he was hesitant to go to Andromeda’s house too often, thinking that she needed the space, but it became obvious that she considered having him around a couple of times a week to help with Teddy a big help to her.

It took him a while to get used to what to do around a baby. He knew babies cried, but he didn’t know just how often they did. It seemed that whenever Teddy was awake, his face would scrunch up and he would emit a wail that Harry thought was impossible for someone so small. In the beginning, if Teddy began to cry and Andromeda wasn’t in the room, he was hopeless, but he soon began to appreciate the ability that his godson had inherited from his mother.

Still just a few weeks old, Teddy still had very little hair, but what small amounts of hair he did have would change colour depending on his mood, something that Harry found incredibly helpful if Andromeda was in the kitchen and Teddy was beginning to fuss. If he was content and happy, his hair was the same turquoise colour that he had sported in the picture Remus had shown Harry before the battle. If he was uncomfortable or needed a hug from his grandmother or godfather, his hair would turn red. Not a Weasley red, but a violent red that would quickly turn to a more gentle colour if he was being fussed by someone. If he was hungry his hair would turn pink, (something that Harry knew upset Andromeda every time it happened, so whenever he was around, he tried to make sure that Teddy was fed before his hair would turn pink) and it would be a green colour if he needed changing.) During his sleep, however, his hair would fade to what Harry assumed was his natural hair colour, the same sandy blonde as Remus’.

Harry found that being around Teddy helped to take his mind off his own struggles that occurred after the war. Seeing so much death had left its mark on Harry, and he was often worried that he was going mad, but the afternoons he spent with this innocent child whom after only three visits he loved with all his heart, and who would change his hair to black whenever Harry held him, made Harry feel like all would be okay.

He found himself just talking to Teddy when the two of them were alone. He knew, of course, that Teddy was unaware of what he was saying, but Harry liked to think his voice offered Teddy as much comfort as Teddy offered him. He would stare down at this child and say, in a voice that did not sound like his own, “I will make sure you don’t feel alone and unloved as I did,” or “I think you were a surprise to everyone, but what a wonderful surprise you are,” or even, “When I go you must be good for your Gran, because she’s feeling a little sad today.”

Teddy was two months old when Harry took care of him by himself one afternoon. Narcissa and Draco Malfoy had shown up at the front door of Andromeda’s house the previous week looking to reconcile, so Andromeda had suggested they arrange a day to go to The Three Broomsticks, but until she knew her sister was genuine, she did not want Teddy around her, so she asked Harry to look after him that afternoon, which Harry wholeheartedly agreed to.

Then he panicked. He had gotten used to helping look after Teddy whilst Andromeda was around, but he worried what would happen when he was left alone with a baby. Well, he wasn’t quite alone. He had asked Ginny to come with him, and of course, she had been more than willing to as she too had fallen in love with Teddy, who was a weekly visitor to the Burrow. And Ginny was a natural with the baby. She could stop him crying, change his nappy with her eyes closed, and Harry had yet to see her break a sweat in doing so.

Though she assured Harry that she had no doubt he would be fine, Andromeda was still somewhat reluctant to leave Teddy, the person she loved most of all, but eventually, she gave her grandson a kiss on the forehead, and left. And as the afternoon went on, Harry did not know why he had himself so worried, for Teddy was perfect and there were no issues at all, though Harry was not impressed at how much Ginny laughed when Teddy’s dinner ended up all over Harry’s arm, and he was clearly being ganged up on as Ginny’s laughter evoked a rather proud look in the baby.

After the first time went so well, he continued to babysit as Andromeda returned to work at St. Mungos. When she was at work, and whenever his Auror training allowed it, Harry would spend the day at Andromeda’s house, watching over Teddy, who was learning new things each and every day. He began to babble, and was able to lift his head, though he had also developed the habit of screaming whenever someone left the room for two seconds. Other than that, he was a perfect child.

After five months of babysitting, Andromeda trusted Harry, and he trusted himself, enough to take care of Teddy by himself at night. Andromeda went to visit Ted’s family in the countryside for a night, having not seen them since he died, and she had asked Harry, rather than Mrs. Weasley, to stay the night to take care of him. Her trust in him meant a lot, for he had hoped that he had proven he was capable of taking care of his godson, and for her to be willing to leave him in his care for the night signalled that he was doing something right.

Just before Halloween, Andromeda returned to work at St. Mungos, so Harry, now a more than competent babysitter, would look after Teddy whenever his Auror training allowed it. And it was around this time that Harry first babysat for Teddy during a night. Andromeda had gone to visit Ted’s family for a night in the country to celebrate what would’ve been his 47th birthday.

He was working on renovating Grimmauld Place, but until it was ready, he did not want Teddy to step a foot in that dark house, so he was given permission by Andromeda to babysit Teddy at her house in her absence. He spent the night on the sofa, turning down Andromeda’s offer of spending the night in Tonks’ childhood room, so he was in the room next to Teddy’s nursery. Harry knew Andromeda had barely touched her daughter’s room, so it didn’t feel right sleeping in it until Andromeda had made her peace. Instead he used a muggle baby monitor to listen to everything that was happening in Teddy’s room, and unfortunately for Harry, he had to use it often.

Teddy was having a restless night, and Harry could not figure out why. He did not need changing or feeding, he made sure that Teddy was not too hot or cold, and yet the baby still wailed. Harry rocked him, pacing around the nursery to try to lull him to sleep and even began to hum a lullaby to him (he decided against singing, for he was certain that would’ve only made Teddy cry even more).

After a few hours of Teddy alternating between wailing loud enough to wake the dead, and short bursts of sleep, Harry figured out why he was so agitated. Teddy continuously tugged on his left ear, sometimes rubbing it on Harry’s shoulder when he was holding him, and Harry realised the baby must have an ear infection, causing him distress. Knowing Teddy needed his sleep, but not knowing how to help him with his ailment, and not wanting to disturb Andromeda during her well earned night away, he sent a patronus to someone he knew would not mind him waking her up at 4am in the morning.

Molly Weasley appeared in the fireplace just moments later, a vial of potion in her hand and made a beeline for Harry and Teddy who were now curled up in the armchair. Teddy, now red faced and squealing, saw his Grandma Molly and reached his arms out as she approached. She took him in her own arms and began to bounce him, speaking gently to him.

“There, there sweetie. Are you feeling poorly?” She was answered by another cry, and she soothed him enough for potion to be taken. “Here, this will help. Yes it will.”

Slowly, Teddy’s sobs became small sniffles, and then eventually he became silent, and Molly handed Teddy back to his godfather.

“Thank you,” Harry said, Teddy now curled on his chest, still awake but no longer in pain.

“No problem, dear. Now you get some rest.”

Too tired to walk up the stairs and put Teddy to sleep in his nursery, he placed an arm around the baby on his chest, keeping him secure, and began to read ‘Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump.’

The next thing Harry knew, it was morning, and he woke to someone shuffling around the living room. Reaching for his wand before he opened his eyes, the intruder spoke.

“It’s only me, Harry,” the voice of Andromeda Tonks spoke. “Forgive me for waking you, but I imagine he’ll be getting hungry soon.”

And it was then that Harry felt the weight on his chest, and looked down to see that his godson was still fast asleep.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Andromeda continued, handing Harry something, “but I took a picture. When I walked in and saw the two of you curled up asleep, I thought a picture was needed, and I thought you’d like it.”

She was right, he loved the picture. Harry with his glasses askew on his face, one hand secured around Teddy’s back, the other holding the Tales of Beedle the Bard, and Teddy, also deep in sleep, his hair his natural colour. It was a beautiful picture and one that Harry cherished.

After taking care of Teddy for the night, Harry doubled his efforts at renovating Grimmauld Place. It was not long before the hallways, kitchen, living room and two bedrooms were now decorated in a way in which he liked. Gone were the dark, evil rooms, and instead they were replaced with light rooms that would be filled with memories and happiness. One of the rooms was his own bedroom, and the other he turned into a nursery for Teddy, hoping that when he permanently moved in to Grimmauld Place, Andromeda would continue to let him babysit.

And after seeing Harry with Teddy, she had no hesitation in allowing Harry to babysit him every Wednesday night when Harry deemed Grimmauld Place liveable, and Teddy would continue to sleep at his godfather’s on Wednesdays, even when it was his Hogwarts holidays. Baby Teddy found Kreacher very interesting, often squealing with joy when he saw the elf. Kreacher had helped with the renovation, and although it took Kreacher a while to let go of the old prejudices he held, and after Harry had warned Kreacher several times for muttering about wolf spawns under his breath, Kreacher too warmed up to the child, and became fond of him, though he would never admit that.

It took Harry four years to completely renovate Grimmauld Place. By this time, he and Ginny were married and they were expecting their first child. There was now only one room left for Harry to renovate, the room containing the family tapestry. Harry had been putting it off for as long as he could remember, but now the rest of the house was complete, he had no choice but to see to the family tree.

He stood in the room, eying up the name ‘Sirius’, and his immediate thought was to destroy the tree as he had managed with the portrait of Mrs. Black, but he could hear the giggle of a four-year-old boy from the living room, and decided he would do something different. Over the following weeks, he made the colour of the tree lighter to match the rest of the house, and he set about changing the names of the tree. Cedrella Black, Arthur’s mother reappeared in her rightful place alongside her husband, Septimus, and therefore all the Weasley family were added to the tapestry, Harry included due to his marriage to Ginny. Harry also charmed the tapestry to include his own parents, finding it fitting that James should find his way onto the tree after being brothers in all but blood with Sirius. Of course, Harry immediately restored those portraits that had been removed from the tree, Sirius and Andromeda the two most prominent names.

Unsure on what to make of Bellatrix, the woman who murdered both Sirius and Tonks, Harry asked for her sister’s opinion, and Andromeda insisted that Bellatrix’s name should remain on the tree.

“Sirius left this house to you, Harry, the choice is yours. She killed two of the most important people in my life, and I never wish to look upon her face again, but if we start picking and choosing names that should be on a family tree, it makes us no better than them. And in any case, removing her name will never change the fact that she was my sister.”

Recognising the knowledge in her words, Harry kept the portrait of Bellatrix up, though Harry was as pleased as Andromeda at the thought of her face being present in Sirius’ house, but he decided that ultimately Andromeda was right, and her face remained on the portrait. And that left just one more thing to do.

Two weeks after he had started work on the Black family tapestry, it was completed, and he took a step back to admire his handiwork. Happy with what he saw, he shouted for his godson.

“Teddy, come here a minute, buddy. I want to show you something!”

“Coming, Uncle Harry!” the replying shout came from down the hallway, and his five-year-old godson came sprinting down the hallway, nearly knocking into the vase along the way.

“Erm, what have I said about running in the house?” Harry asked, trying to sound stern, for he did worry about Teddy’s safety when he ran in the house, but in reality his godson’s giddiness made him smile.

“Not to,” he replied, looking down at his feet in shame. Harry lifted Teddy’s chin up so he looked him in the eye.

“Promise me you won’t run again. You could hurt yourself.”

“I promise.”

“Good, now come in,” Harry said, and opened the door. Teddy, who had never been in this room before and his eyes widened, though he was also confused.

“What is this room, Uncle Harry?”

“This is the Black Family tree, and I have been working to improve it. But what I want to show you is over here.”

And he ushered Teddy over to the final additions to the tree. Once he saw the names and portraits, Teddy grinned and began to jump around excitedly.

“That’s me, Uncle Harry!” he shouted, pointing at the name ‘Edward R. Lupin, b. 1998.’ “That’s me!”

“You’re right, that is you. And look, who are these?” Harry said, pointing to the names above Teddy’s. Remus J. Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin.

“Wow! That’s mummy and daddy! And there’s gran too. And Uncle Harry, that’s you and Auntie Ginny.”

“Right then, trouble maker,” Ginny said, appearing from the door after a few minutes, no doubt hearing Teddy’s excited chatter, “it’s time for tea.”

And with the mention of food, Teddy ran to the kitchen, forgetting his promise to Harry only moments before, but Harry did not have the heart to berate him once again. He shut the door behind him, glad that he had made the decision to update the tapestry, rather than destroy it.

When the morning came, and Andromeda came to Grimmauld Place to collect him, Teddy thought it made the perfect time to play a little game.

“Right then Teddy, come and say goodbye to Uncle Harry, we are going home,” she said after she and Harry had had a small conversation, but she received no reply. “Teddy?” she tried again, and the silence was very uncharacteristic.

Harry saw a look of panic cross her face, as it was not often that Teddy was quiet, but luckily he had spotted something and nudged her in the direction of two small feet sticking out behind a curtain, trying to hide. Both Harry and Andromeda decided to play along with Teddy.

“Where is he?” Andromeda asked aloud, and Harry could her a small giggle coming from the direction of the feet. “Where has my Teddy gone?”

“I don’t know, perhaps we should look for him,” Harry replied, and the two pretended to look all over the living room before Andromeda sighed dramatically.

“Oh, well, I guess I will have to leave him then. Goodbye, Harry.”

“Nooo!” a small voice shouted, and Teddy jumped from behind the curtain. “Grandma, I’m here!”

“Oh, there he is!” Harry said, and he watched as Teddy launched himself into his grandmother’s arms.

Teddy was the first child Harry had really known, and while there were similarities between the two of them, he was so incredibly happy that Teddy’s childhood had so differed from his own. He loved watching Teddy change every day (both literally and figuratively thanks to his ability) and doing things as a child that Harry was never given the chance to. It made Harry’s heart warm to know he was a small part of offering Teddy a far better childhood than he was allowed.

* * *

“Teddy, come and meet Dominique,” Harry said, approaching his godson who was hiding in the corner, covering his ears to stop the wailing noise coming from the baby in Fleur’s arms. Dominique was not the first baby that Teddy had met, but he was still a baby himself when Victoire was born, so Dominique was the first baby he could interact with.

He took the hand of his godson and ushered him over to his new niece, who had stopped crying and had fallen asleep, snuggled contently in her mothers arms. Like her sister, she was a beautiful baby, but Teddy was not impressed.

“This is Victoire’s little sister,” Harry said and Teddy peered into the blankets, but screwed his face up.

“She’s little.”

“She’s very little. You were once that small.”

“No I wasn’t!” Teddy answered back, clearly not believing it was possible for him to have been as small as Dominique.

They stayed for a while longer, before giving Bill and Fleur some peace. As loud as Dominique’s crying was, one could always count upon Teddy to raise the decibel in the room just a note higher, and Harry thought the newest Weasley needed a little peace from the noise of a easily excitable toddler.

Teddy held on tight as they side-along apparated to the Burrow, and once there, Teddy ran to Arthur and chattered to him with excitement.

“I saw Vicky’s little sister,” he announced.

“Did you really?” Arthur replied, and Teddy nodded thoroughly.

“Yep. Her name is Dom…Dom…” Teddy stuttered, not able to pronounce her name yet, so Arthur helped.

“Dominique?”

“Yes, that’s her name!”

Teddy now ran back towards Harry and tugged on his sleeve, looking up at him with almost pleading eyes.

“Can I have a sister?”

Harry froze, looking towards Arthur only to see the smile had immediately vanished from his face. Becoming flustered, Harry looked down at his godson’s smiling face, and knelt before him, taking his two small hands in his own. Teddy must’ve realised the situation was no longer playful, for the joy on his face had vanished too, and he looked serious instead.

Teddy knew his parents were dead, or at least Harry thought he knew. Andromeda had explained to him that they had to go away to a place called heaven, with Harry’s parents too, and Teddy, though confused, had seemed to realise that his parents weren’t coming back. Clearly Teddy was still too young to understand the concept of death, and he also didn’t realise that brothers and sisters were children born to the same parents. At that moment, Ginny, who must’ve heard Teddy ask the question due to the sympathetic look upon her face, walked in the room, and it gave Harry an idea.

“Well, remember how we told you that Auntie Ginny is going to have a baby?”

“Yep. Baby James or baby Lily.”

“Yes, James or Lily. Well, you are my godson, so when the baby is born, that means you will have a godbrother or a godsister.”

Harry was not sure if such a thing even existed, but he decided if it did not, it would now, because Teddy beamed back at him.

“Really?”

“Yes, and it’s the most important job in the whole world. You will be the baby’s godbrother.”

“I will be the best godbrother in the whole world,” Teddy exclaimed, making a huge gesture with his arms as if to show the whole world. Harry hugged him, holding him close.

“I know you will.”

And Harry was right. From the moment James was born, Teddy took to him like a duck takes to water. He proudly announced that James was his godbrother and every time he saw James, he would talk to him about anything that came to his mind. For a while, Teddy was disappointed that James didn’t speak back, but Harry assured him that it was only because James was too little and that as soon as he could speak, he would love talking back to Teddy. He had also started to learn to control changing his hair colour and as James grew, he began to laugh when Teddy did so, trying to grab Teddy’s hair with his tiny hands, making Teddy laugh in the process.

Though James was not officially Teddy’s brother, Harry hoped that Teddy would consider James and any other children he and Ginny may have as close as siblings, and watching him interact with baby James, he had no doubt that he would.

* * *

Harry suddenly had a large amount of newfound respect for Andromeda Tonks, who was now raising a second metamorphmagus child. Harry felt that just looking after one for a few days a week at most was enough for a lifetime. His godson was currently somewhere in the crowd of people at Hogsmeade, and Harry was imagining the fifty-thousand different ways Andromeda would curse him when he returned to her home without her grandson.

It was the November 5th, and even wizards enjoyed Guy Fawkes night. Every year at Hogsmeade, there would be a remarkable fireworks display, and wizards flock from all over the country to see it. Harry, Ginny, and Teddy (five-month-old James was too young to see the display, so was staying the night at the Burrow) had all visited Hogsmeade a few hours before the celebration, to have a meal at the Three Broomsticks and to take Teddy to his favourite shop.

But they weren’t the only ones, and Hogsmeade was already full of people. After they had left the Three Broomsticks and headed out into the crowded street, Harry shrank to his knees in front of Teddy and spoke sternly to him.

“Listen to me very carefully. It is very busy, and you must hold mine or Auntie Ginny’s hands at all times. Do you understand?”

Teddy nodded and grabbed the hand that Harry offered him, happily jumping rather than walking. He could not stop talking about how excited he was to see the fireworks, and how he wasn’t scared of them this year. Harry had taken him to the display the previous year, but the loud bangs had frightened him, and they returned home early. This year, however, Teddy had proudly announced that he was a ‘big boy’ and the loud noises didn’t scare him anymore.

“Honeydukes!” Teddy shouted, and began to run, tugging at Harry’s hand as he saw the sweet shop. Honeydukes was Teddy’s favourite shop in the whole world (other than Uncle George’s shop of course).

Ginny laughed as Harry was dragged to the shop, trying to calm Teddy down, assuring him that the sweets won’t disappear if they walk to the shop.

“You two go and buy enough sweets to make your teeth rot,” she said with a smile. “I will find you soon. Luna mentioned she saw some adorable baby clothes in Gladrags last week, I am going to go and buy some early Christmas gifts for James and Dominique.”

Harry led Teddy into the shop, and the boy’s eyes widened in awe as they always did when they came into the sweetshop. Harry felt he should have a share in the shop at this point, as Teddy would empty the shelves whenever he came. Acid pops, sugar quills, no melt ice cream, and Teddy’s favourite, chocolate frogs.

As Harry went to pay, he let go of Teddy’s hand for two seconds to hand the money to the worker and when he turned back around, he saw no sign of his godson.

“Teddy?” But there was no answer, and it was at that moment he began to panic. He looked around, certain Teddy could not have gotten far, but he was nowhere to be seen. He ran out back onto the street but it was no use.

“Teddy?” he shouted again, this time more frantic.

“Harry!” a voice shouted, and he turned to see his wife walking towards him with a huge smile, a bag of shopping in her hands, and the other holding James, who was on her hip. He rushed towards her, and the smile she had on her face dropped as she saw he was alone.

“Where is Teddy?” When Harry began to stammer at her, she repeated her question, only with more anger evident in her voice. “Harry Potter, where is Teddy?”

“I let go of his hand for two seconds to pay and—”

“You lost him!” Ginny shrieked, and James began to cry, as if he could sense his parents were becoming tense.

“Look, we need to remain calm.”

“Remain calm!” Ginny was quickly becoming the opposite of calm and was now panicking more than Harry. “Harry, look at how many people are here. Who knows what could happen to him?”

“Which is why we need to remain calm and search for him.”

“Harry, you do realise that we are searching for a child who may not look like Teddy. He could look like anyone. It makes our task a little harder.”

No, Harry had not considered that. In fact, with Teddy sporting his natural hair colour today, he had momentarily forgotten his godson was a metamorphmagus. Now he truly began to panic, but he didn’t let his wife see to prevent her from worrying even more.

“Teddy knows to not morph outside the house if he can help it.”

“Around muggles. Harry we’re in Hogsmeade, he knows no muggles come here.”

“I know, I know. Look, every second we waste here could be spent trying to find him. I will walk back up that way to the Three Broomsticks, you head to the Hog’s Head. If we can’t find him, we’ll check in every shop.”

So that was how Harry Potter found himself searching all over Hogsmeade for a child that could literally look like anything. He kept his eye out for bright coloured hair, or something odd like a child with cat’s ears, but he saw nothing. Until—

“There he is! Uncle Harry!”

Relief flooded through him as he turned and saw Teddy, who looked exactly as he had done when they had arrived in Hogsmeade, and was safe with another adult…and that adult was none other than Draco Malfoy.

Terrified, he headed over to where the two were stood, before he remembered that Draco was no threat to Teddy. Andromeda and Narcissa had reconciled after the war, and Teddy was somewhat familiar with Draco, who didn’t exactly look comfortable with the five-year-old tugging on his arm, but wasn’t horrified by it either.

“Oh, Teddy,” he said, wrapping the boy in a hug as he reached them. And then he remembered that Teddy had ran away from him. “You, young man are in a lot of trouble. Never do that to me again.”

Relief overcame the anger he felt, and then he remembered Draco stood there. He picked Teddy up, groaning slightly as he was getting far to heavy to carry now.

“Potter.”

“Malfoy.”

Then Harry did something he had never done before and offered his hand, and in turn Draco did something he had never done before and shook it.

“Thank you.”

“No problem,” he said, and then ruffled Teddy’s hair. “See you later, kid.”

“Bye bye, Draco,” Teddy said, waving as Draco walked off. It was odd to see his old school rival so familiar with his godson, but Teddy was unbothered by his presence and so that was fine with Harry. His heart rate now normal, Harry hugged Teddy closer, not releasing him at all as he went to find his wife, feeding Teddy with some of the Honeydukes sweets and the three of them had a wonderful time enjoying the fireworks display.

* * *

“Uncle Harry? What’s a half-breed? Why did that man call my daddy a half-breed?”

It was the first thing Teddy had said since their disastrous outing to Diagon Alley where some less than pleasant people had expressed their vile opinions about Teddy’s existence. The people in question had said that Teddy’s existence was an abomination because the boy’s father was a ‘filthy half-breed that shouldn’t have been allowed to breed.’

Since they returned, Teddy had sat quietly, overwhelmed by the whole situation, watching as Harry packed his bag, getting him ready to return to his grandmothers.

Harry sighed, knowing that he would now have to have a conversation with six-year-old Teddy that he didn’t want to have for a long time. He and Andromeda had spoken about who of the two of them would be best suited to one day tell Teddy about Remus’ lycanthropy, and they decided Harry, for he knew Remus better and understood the condition better than Andromeda did, but they had agreed to not tell him until he was ready. Unfortunately that conversation now needed to be fast tracked.

He knelt in front of Teddy, who was still looking rather sullen.

“Was daddy a bad person? He called him evil.”

“No, no, absolutely not,” Harry said, noticing that with every passing moment he failed to reassure Teddy, his godson was becoming more upset. “That man said something nasty and he was wrong. So do not listen to him, do you understand me?” Teddy nodded at him, but kept his eyes downwards. “Your daddy was not a bad person, he was a wonderful person who fought for good people, against bad people who wanted to hurt me and many others.

“But, there was something different about your daddy that you need to know.” Harry took a deep breath, wondering how he was going to explain lycanthropy to a six-year-old. “When he was small, even smaller than you, a bad man hurt your daddy and made him really poorly.”

“Like when I was poorly at Uncle George’s birthday?” Teddy asked, referring to the time he had caught a virus and had been sick for days.

“Even more poorly.” Teddy’s eyes bulged, not believing it was possible to be more poorly than he had.

“Teddy, do you know what werewolves are?” Harry asked, and he had to stifle a laugh, even with the seriousness of the conversation as Teddy tilted his head back and let out a howling noise. “Yes, well, the bad man who hurt your daddy was a werewolf, and that meant that he made your daddy one too.”

“My daddy was a werewolf?” Teddy said, and Harry panicked. Everyone had made sure that Teddy heard wonderful stories of Remus and Tonks and the last thing he wanted was for Teddy to fear what his father had been.

“Yes, he was. But more importantly he was a good man. Unfortunately, some people were really mean to werewolves and that was why those people said those mean things about you and your daddy, but they weren’t true. And even though they were mean to him, he still fought to protect you, because he loved you.”

Teddy nodded, but Harry was unsure he really understood the conversation that had just happened. Teddy ran from the room, but came back moments later with his overnight bag and pulled out the stuffed wolf George had bought him for his first Christmas.

“If my daddy was a werewolf then werewolves are amazing. Moony is my most favourite toy ever,” he said, gesturing to the wolf toy he ever went anywhere without. Harry knew that one day they would have to have the conversation again, but when Teddy was older, and he understood, but until that moment, he wouldn’t dare ruin the fun the little boy was having playing with his favourite toy.

* * *

Years had passed, and Harry found himself feeling old as he stood at Platform 9 ¾ for the first time since his sixth year had ended. Eleven years had passed since he had defeated Voldemort, and it was now time for his godson to have his Hogwarts experience.

“Do you have it?” Harry whispered as he hugged Teddy, wishing him luck for his first year at Hogwarts.

“In my suitcase.”

The _‘it’_ Harry was referring to was the Marauder’s Map, which Harry had presented to Teddy the previous night.

“Try to keep it a secret,” Harry had said, handing the map to Teddy as his eyes lit up in wonder. “McGonagall will have my head if she finds out it has been passed onto another one of the Marauder’s sons. I think between them our dads and Sirius gave her a lifetime at trouble when they were at school.”

It was of course, only natural that Harry should pass the map on to Teddy. After all, at the end of his third year, it had been Remus who gave the map back to Harry, and as the son of one of the creator’s, Teddy had as much right to the map as Harry himself did, though he only hoped Teddy wouldn’t become too much of a troublemaker in possession of the map. A metamorphmagus in possession of a map that can tell the reader where all the teachers in the school are was sure to mean trouble.

Everyone waved as the Hogwarts Express left Platform 9 ¾, and Harry went over to a teary Andromeda, trying to cheer her up.

“I still think Gryffindor,” he joked politely, and her sniffles turned into a laugh.

“Harry Potter, I am always right. He will be a Hufflepuff, you will see.”

She was, of course, right. And Harry was one of several people who received a letter the following evening from an excited Teddy letting them know about his first night.

_Uncle Harry,_

_I got sorted into Hufflepuff! Just like mum! Gran was right, she said she would be proud no matter where I was sorted but when I asked her what house she thought I’d be sorted into, she was certain it would be Hufflepuff._

_Hogwarts is as amazing as you described. All the teachers seem friendly (Hagrid told me to say hi). The moving stairways are confusing, but I found my way to the common room easily enough. And the common room is amazing too, it doesn’t feel like a dungeon at all. And some of the portraits remembered my mum from when she was here, and grandad Ted._

_There aren’t as many students this year. McGonagall said that was because people did not want babies to be born in the height of the war, but I’ve already made a few friends._

_I used the map for the first time last night, and it was amazing to see the whole school on a piece of parchment. But then something else happened, and it was like it was talking to me. Writing just appeared from nowhere when I was reading it._

_‘Mr. Prongs would like to welcome Mr. Lupin to Hogwarts and he would like to congratulate Mr. Moony on finally dropping his ‘I’m not good for anybody’ self-pity act and having a family. Mr. Wormtail would also like to congratulate Mr. Moony and would like to add that he always knew Mr. Moony would eventually have a happy life. Mr. Padfoot agrees with Mr. Prongs and Mr. Wormtail, but would also like to know what unlucky woman has been charmed by the most grumpy person to have ever lived. Mr. Moony would like his friends to stop teasing and would like to wish Mr. Lupin luck in his years at school and hopes he becomes as good pranksters as we were.’_

_Then I kind of had a conversation with them. It was quite fun, but a little weird. I mean, I have never spoken to my dad before, and yet here I was, able to communicate with him. Did you ever feel like your dad was talking to you through the map? Maybe it’s odd, because my dad was fifteen when the map was made, but it’s kind of comforting, communicating with him when I’ve never been able to._

_I know I will love my time here, and I promise to write to you to let you know how I am getting along._

_Say hi to Auntie Ginny, James, Albus and Lily for me._

_Love from Teddy._

Teddy,

I am so happy to hear that your first night has gone so well, and congratulations on being sorted into Hufflepuff. Helga’s house has gained another fantastic young wizard, and I know this is just the start of you being a credit to yourself and your house. I am also very happy to hear that you have already made friends, and I know you will make more as your time at Hogwarts progresses because of the wonderful person you are.

The Hufflepuff common room was one I have never seen, so you will have to describe it to me. Or even better, take a photo, I would love to see what it looks like. The stairs can be confusing, but if you are friendly to the ghosts and the portraits, they will be willing to help you. But do watch out for Peeves, he is the only one that will try to make things difficult. Though, if you mention the spell _Waddiwasi_ in front of him, he may cower. Remind me when you are home at Christmas to tell you the story of when your dad used the spell.

Speaking of your dad, I am glad to see that you have already used the map, and I have no doubt that you will learn to use it quickly. Though I must offer advice to be cautious. I did find it wonderful that I could communicate with my dad, but please do not become to obsessed with it. I do not wish to dishearten you, but it is not real, and regular communication with the Marauders via the map may only upset you further, something I do not wish to happen.

I look forward to hearing more of the start of your Hogwarts journey. I hope you enjoy your first week of classes, and I still think transfiguration will be your favourites. Remember to behave in your classes, especially Herbology or else Professor Longbottom will let me know (and say hi back to Hagrid for me).

Hope to hear from you again soon,

Uncle Harry, Auntie Ginny, James, Albus and Lily.

* * *

“I understand. More than most people I understand,” Harry said, his voice almost pleading as his fifteen-year-old godson became more and more irate. He wanted to calm him down before he said something he regretted.

“No! You don’t! Your parents went into hiding. Voldemort found you, they tried everything they could to fight him off and protect you, but they stayed with you until the end! Mine left! What kind of selfish parents leave their newborn?!”

He almost fell to the floor, tears in his eyes and his outburst began to calm.

“They didn’t have to go,” he said, sobbing in between his words. “They could’ve stayed at home with me but they left. Would the two of them staying with me really have made a difference to the outcome of the war. They could still be here.”

Teddy stormed off, and Harry felt defeated. He remembered a time where he felt anger at his parents for leaving him, especially as it meant he had to live with the Dursleys, but despite being in his position once, Harry felt helpless as his godson felt a similar anger towards his parents. But he gave Teddy some space, knowing he would come around.

He wasn’t sure what had started the outburst, and if Teddy did not want to share, he would not ask, but he assumed something had been said to him, and it made him angry, only his anger was directed at the wrong people.

He still felt guilt all these years later at the fact that Remus and Tonks hadn’t lived to see their son grow, but he knew that they would sacrifice themselves again in a heartbeat to know he would’ve grown up happy and healthy, and Teddy understood that, even if at times he forgot it.

He barely spoke to Harry and Ginny as he left to return to Andromeda’s house, and Harry explained to the woman about her grandson’s outburst. She didn’t seem surprised, and had told him that Teddy’s attitude towards his parents had been the same for a few weeks now. She explained how Teddy had snapped at her when she had told him it would’ve been his mother’s fortieth birthday the previous day.

Early the next morning, however, Teddy appeared in their front room, coming from the fireplace with a rather sullen look upon his face. Before Harry could go to him, he spoke up, his voice uncharacteristically quiet.

“I’m sorry for shouting. I-I didn’t mean it, any of what I said. I know why they went, and I’m proud of them, I always have been. I’m just selfish and wish that they didn’t.”

“It’s okay…” he was about to say he had no need to apologise, but Teddy spoke up before he could.

“No it’s not. Did you hear the awful things I said?” Harry knew that Teddy would regret his words, and here was the proof. The poor teen was as much of a mess as he was yesterday, only for a different reason.

“I called them selfish for fighting for what was right…for fighting in a battle they died in.”

“You didn’t mean it.”

“I did when I said it. Why else would I have said it? It’s just…I have nothing. Everyone has told me things but I have absolutely nothing. I don’t remember anything about them, not even the smallest of flashes.”

Harry had seen his first birthday when his parents had died, and the older he got, the more memories of his short time with his parents he would be told of. But Teddy had been just two weeks old, and those two weeks were spent in hiding.

“It’s almost odd really. I miss two people who I never knew.” Teddy was now sobbing, and Harry’s heart broke at his words.

“It’s not odd at all,” he replied softly and opened his arms. His now fifteen-year-old godson nearly jumped into his arms as he had done as a child, and Harry just held him as he cried.

The boy in his arms still had his whole life ahead of him, but Harry could not help but think back over the last fifteen years, and the pleasure it had been to watch him grow. This child who was the one ray of light at the end of a dark war, whom he loved as he did his own children, and Harry knew that Remus and Tonks would be proud of the young man their son was becoming, just as proud as he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was Harry’s chapter and I hope you enjoyed it. It was hard to write but also enjoyable because I love imagining their relationship.  
> I hope the huge time jump between 6-year-old Teddy and then Hogwarts was not too big, but as explained in the intro, I wanted this chapter to focus mostly on the early years.  
> As for The Diagon Alley incident, I do not believe prejudice would’ve so easily left the wizarding world so there would be many who would despise Teddy’s existence, and it is also something I will cover in more detail in Ginny’s chapter. It would be a better fit to extend it with her chapter, but the conversation that followed was more natural to be with Harry (and it felt more natural that Harry has that conversation with Teddy than Andromeda).  
> In regards to the map, I like the idea of the Marauders just talking to Teddy, and he obviously feels like he’s communicating with his dad, but kind of like with Harry and the Mirror, he needs to know it’s not real, and Harry had to warn him of that, even if it was harsh.  
> And then the final part may seem a little over the top, but I feel that even years later with grief sometimes comes anger, and I imagine being orphaned so young would often lead to a small period of time where there is anger towards the parents for leaving them so young, but obviously he regrets his words and doesn’t mean them, he’s just frustrated they aren’t there, a feeling Harry knows better than anyone.  
> Thanks again for reading, I hope to complete my LOTR fic soon so it shouldn’t be too long before I continue this story. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy reading and please feel free to suggest who you would like to see in the next chapter.


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